FC Goa climb to ISL 2023-24 summit after clinical victory against Chennaiyin FC

After a marauding 3-0 victory against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday, November 5, FC Goa galloped to the top of the ISL 2023-24 points table.

While Boris Singh opened the scoring for the visitors with a neat finish, Rowllin Borges doubled their lead in the first half itself. Meanwhile, substitute Udanta Singh hammered home the final nail in CFC's coffin with a stunning strike.

Building up to the fixture, the Men in Orange harbored the hopes of extending their unbeaten run. In an attempt to spice up their attack, Manolo Marquez fielded Brandon Fernandes in place of Raynier Fernandes. Boris too slotted into the starting lineup and earned his first start for the club.

The Marina Machans, too, had recovered from their initial blip at the start of the season and were coming into the fixture on the back of two successive victories. But right from the first whistle, the Marina Machans seemingly lacked the cohesiveness to put up a resilient battle. In the 13th minute, Carl McHugh fed a perfectly weighted through pass to Jay Gupta down the left flank, and the full-back found Boris, who was sneaking into the far post unmarked.

The 23-year-old winger buried the ball into the back of the net and helped Goa claim the lead on away soil. Chennaiyin looked out of sorts after conceding early and to make matters worse, the Gaurs punished their lackluster start to the night once again.

Rowllin Borges unleashed a venomous right-footed effort from the edge of the box and the ball struck a Chennaiyin defender before looping over goalkeeper Debjit Majumder. McHugh once again acted as the creator-in-chief for the goal.

After the two goals, the intensity slightly fizzled out of the match as the Gaurs were content with maintaining their lead until the half-time break.

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Udanta Singh impactful off the bench for FC Goa against Chennaiyin FC

After the break, the leading team opted for a change as Noah Sadaoui came on to replace Victor Rodriguez. Almost immediately, the Moroccan made a mark on the game as he tested Debjit.

Meanwhile, the Marina Machans threw a few punches through a Jordan Murray attempt in the 66th minute, but Arshdeep Singh was up to the task. The final blow for Chennai came six minutes later when substitute Udanta Singh buried the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box.

The victory pushed FC Goa to first place on the ISL standings, with 13 points from five games. Meanwhile, Chennaiyin FC occupy the seventh position in the league table. The Gaurs will next host Jamshedpur FC on November 27 in the league, whereas CFC will be facing East Bengal FC at home on November 25.